Mosiah 18; 19:1 (about 148-145 B.C.)

Alma (the first) was part of the second generation of Zeniff’s group, suggesting he was born in the land of Nephi. After listening to Abinadi’s warnings in king Noah’s court, Alma repented and secretively established a church near the city of Nephi in a place “called Mormon, … being in the borders of the land having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts” (Mosiah 18:4). Given that the Lamanites would have been living to the west of the land of Nephi and to the south in the land of their father’s (Lehi) first inheritance (Alma 22:28), we propose the land of Mormon would have been either to the east or north of the city of Nephi, “in the borders of the land” (Mosiah 18:31). Alma’s location also included a “forest,” a “fountain of pure water,” and a “thicket of small trees” (Mosiah 18:5, 30). This would suggest the land of Mormon was in a more rugged wilderness location at a higher elevation, inland from coastal areas. The land of Mormon, in the “borders of the land,” was possibly only a day’s journey from the city of Nephi (Mosiah 18:1-4). This would also suggest that the city of Nephi was in close proximity to the narrow strip of wilderness, near its southern border (See The Land of Nephi in our main article, An Approach to the Book of Mormon Geography).

Alma baptized 204 people in the land of Mormon, but the newly-converted members were soon threatened by the army of king Noah and “took their tents and their families and departed into the wilderness” (Mosiah 18:34; 23:1). The direction they traveled is not recorded, but because they were most likely in a central wilderness environment in the land of Mormon, we believe they went north to an unoccupied and uncharted part of the same central wilderness land where the king’s army could not find them, as they “searched in vain” (Mosiah 19:1). We believe this area would have been within the southern end of the narrow strip of wilderness in a rugged central location where Alma’s people could hide.

The record states that Alma’s group “fled eight days’ journey into the wilderness” with their flocks and families (Mosiah 23:3). We estimate they would have traveled some 50 to 80 miles northward during this eight day journey (See The Scale of the Book of Mormon Lands in our main article, An Approach to the Book of Mormon Geography) and settled in “a very beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water” (Mosiah 23:4). Because the people of Alma were never found by the king’s army, even though they were probably less than 80 miles away, it would suggest that their wilderness location was very rugged with uncoordinated drainage patterns, multiple twisting canyons and arroyos that were hidden from view. The Jesuit fathers often mentioned the isolated and hidden valleys in this area of Baja California that could not be seen until they were stumbled upon.

Alma and his people named their new location, the land of Helam. Here in “a very beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water,” they “began to till the land, and began to build buildings” (Mosiah 23:4-5). They lived in the land of Helam for over 20 years before being discovered by a “lost” Lamanite army. We propose the wilderness mission site and valley of Misión San Francisco Javier de Viggé-Biaundó (San Javier) as the land and city of Helam. This isolated Spanish mission was founded by the Jesuits in 1699. The valley is located some 60 miles—a difficult eight-day journey—to the north of the land of Mormon and some 170 miles—a less arduous 13-day journey—to the south of the land of Zarahemla. Today, San Javier has a population of over 100 in a beautiful valley of pure water, flocks, and tilled land. The route in from the surfaced highway, however, is a 35-mile rough and winding dirt road, crossed by several spring watercourses, with no bridges. Still, hundreds of tourists visit this isolated historic town every year.